The New 52 "We Can Be Heroes" Justice League 7 Figure Boxset Review

DC Collectibles has released their “We Can Be Heroes” New 52 Justice League 7-pack set. The set costs $99.95, and 10% of the proceeds from each purchase will be donated to We Can Be Heroes (www.WeCanBeHeroes.org), a giving campaign designed to increase awareness and raise funds to provide relief for the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa.

The 7-pack is the first opportunity for collectors to complete the entire New 52 Justice League with the inclusion of Superman which will be released as a single card next month sometime from DC Collectibles. Mattel has also been releasing 6” versions of the New 52 Justice League character, but they have not yet released or even solicited all 7 members yet.

We take a look at this new set to see if it’s worth adding to your collection.

Since all of the figures in this set except Superman have previously been released (some of which we previously reviewed), we are going to look at this set from a more general perspective opposed to individually reviewing each figure. For the most part, the articulation and level of detail is pretty consistent across the board. If something sticks out for a particular figure, we will be sure to address it in the appropriate category. Otherwise we will be addressing the set as a whole.

Check out our full GALLERY of hi-res images for all the figures in the set below.

Packaging - The packaging for this set uses the same basic white box packaging you see with all DC Collectibles offerings. The front is a big window with the title of the set below it. All 7 figures are clearly displayed. The one slight difference between this packaging and most other DC Collectibles stuff is the “We Can Be Heores” design with a sticker promoting the cause on the right side.

On the back is an image of the 7 figures in the set as well as a brief description about the Justice League and a description about We Can Be Heroes.

Sculpts - The sculpting on these figures are very good and very true to the source material on which they are based. The figures do a good job of portraying the characters in the “New 52” armor-type costumes depicted in the comics, and the head sculpts are very true to the Jim Lee designs. Though some may and likely will disagree with me, I think the DC Collectible New 52 JLU figures look better than the Mattel ones. I like how Batman’s cape is done in a way so it drapes on the ground a little, and Aquaman’s hair is styled in a very contemporary look just as if Jim Lee had drawn it.

Paint - The paint jobs on these figures are equally nice. The use of metallic paints on Aquaman, Green Lantern and Cyborg’s costumes help give that armor feel. I also like how the metallic yellow on things like Batman’s belt helps it really stand out. Superman’s red and blues really stand out nicely as well as being sharp and clean.

The one downside with the paint I must caution you about is how easily it seems to chip away. After putting Superman in multiple poses for this photo shoot, I couldn’t help but notice some paint had chipped off his “S” shield on his chest and his hair. I don’t know if this is an issue with all the figures DC is producing or just this particular set, but I would highly recommend using caution when handling your figures.

Articulation - Though it shouldn’t really come to a surprise to anyone familiar with DC Collectible figures, the articulation is an area where these figures tend to struggle. There are some key areas where these figures suffer when it comes to posing due to lack of certain joints. Most notably are the ab crunch joint and any kind of wrist or ankle joints. The figures certainly look nice all standing together, but trying to get these figures in cool battle poses for the shoot was a bit difficult. It’s hard to make a character like Flash look like he is running without being able to adjust his feet appropriately due to lack of ankle joints. This is one area where the Mattel versions definitely have an advantage over the DC Collectibles ones. Here is the basic articulation these figures come with:

Accessories - The set doesn’t come with much in the way of accessories. Aquaman has a trident, although it is attached to the figure with a little metal chain. The chain doesn’t seem to be made to be removable (although if you really wanted to get it off you could). Aquaman also comes with a necklace. Wonder Woman has her lasso, but it is attached to her hip and not removable.

Though the single packaged Cyborg came with a swap-out arm cannon accessory, this version does not. The figures each have a peg hole in their feet but none come with a figure stand of any kind which would have been nice.

Fun - Though the figures look really nice all together and even fighting the great-looking DC Collectibles New 52 Darkseid and Parademon, the lack of articulation really does diminish some of the fun factor here. That’s not to say they won’t look really good on your shelf or display case, but don’t expect to be able to put them is a whole lot of different poses or battle scenes.

Quality Control - Other than the issues I mentioned above about the paint chipping, I didn’t have any other quality control issues.

Overall - Despite the lack of articulation, I really have enjoyed this set. The “New 52” looks of the Justice League, especially when drawn by Jim Lee, have really grown on me, and this set does a nice job of capturing that look and feel. The price for the set is also pretty reasonable considering the figures tend to sell for $20+ individually. With 10% of the price going to a good cause, that makes it even more justifiable. Obviously if you have been collecting these figures individually as they have come out, the set isn’t worth picking up for just Superman which will eventually be released by itself. If you have been waiting like me, then picking up all 7 figures in one fell swoop is nice. I think these figures look nicer than the Mattel ones, but if articulation is a major factor in your decision of what to buy then I would probably recommend going with the Mattel ones assuming Mattel gets around to releasing all 7 figures. As of last week, I believe all the characters except Green Lantern have been announced as coming, and I am sure they will get to GL soon enough but you never know.